Assessing external exposome by implementing an Environmental Data Management System using Open Data

Due to the increasing importance of exposome in environmental epidemiology, feasibility and usefulness of an Environmental Data Management System (EDMS) using Open Data was evaluated. The EDMS includes data from 10 European cities (Celje (Slovenia), Łódź (Poland), Manchester (UK), Palermo (Italy), Paris (France), Porto (Portugal), Regensburg (Germany), Reus (Spain), Rijeka (Croatia), Thessaloniki (Greece)) about external non-specific and specific exposome factors at the city or country level (2017-2020). Findings showed that the highest values of life expectancy were in Reus females (86 years) and Palermo males (81 years). UK had the highest obesity rate (28%), Croatia the highest prescribed drug consumption (62%), Greece and Portugal the highest smoking rates (37%, 42%) and daily alcohol consumption (21%), respectively. The most polluted cities were Thessaloniki for PM10 (38 µg/m3), Łódź for PM2.5 (25 µg/m3), Porto for NO2 (62 µg/m3) and Rijeka for O3 (92 µg/m3). Thessaloniki had the highest grey space (98%) and Łódź the highest cumulative amount of pollen (39,041 p/m3). The highest daily noise levels ≥ 55 dB was in Reus (81% to traffic) and Regensburg (21% to railway). In drinking water, arsenic had the highest value in Thessaloniki (6.4 µg/L), boron in Celje (24 mg/L) and lead in Paris (46.7 µg/L). Portugal and Greece showed the highest pesticide residues in food (7%). In conclusion, utilizing open-access databases enables the translation of research findings into actionable strategies for public health interventions.This work was supported by the European Commission and the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research, grant agreement IDs: 603946 (“Health and Environment-wide Associations based on Large population Surveys-HEALS”, European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities) and 696300 (“Long-term impact of gestational and early-life dietary habits on infant gut immunity and disease risk-EarlyFOOD”, European Union’s Joint Programming Initiative “A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life” EHDHL-INTIMIC Cofunded Call "Interrelation of the Intestinal Microbiome, Diet and Health"). We thank Prof. M. Chałubiński and Dr. B. Majkowska-Wojciechowska from the Medical University of Lodz, Poland, and Dr. Jordina Belmonte Soler and the site of the Xarxa Aerobiològica de Catalunya in Tarragona (Spain) for the pollen data supply, Prof. Denis A. Sarigiannis for the HEALS project co-coordination. We acknowledge Prof. Michael Kabesh for the support during the HEALS EXHES Survey. We thank each local authority for the data supply, as well

Arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury levels in blood of Finnish adults and their relation to diet, lifestyle habits and sociodemographic variables

The Northern Finland Birth Cohort program (NFBC) is the epidemiological and longitudinal prospective general population research program, which was established to promote health and wellbeing of the population in northern Finland. The aim of present study, as a part of the NFBC program, was to analyze the blood levels of arsenic (B-As), cadmium (B-Cd), lead (B-Pb), total mercury (B-Hg) and selenium (B-Se); to compare these levels with threshold limits; to study sociodemographic factors; and to correlate these levels with calcium and haemoglobin. The study was comprised of 249 NFBC subjects, of which 123 were female and 126 were male (ages 31.1 ± 0.3 and 31.1 ± 0.4, respectively). All participants were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding diet and living habits. The geometric means (± SD) of B-As were 0.49 ± 2.80 μg/l and 0.44 ± 2.72 μg/l; B-Cd were 0.18 ± 4.02 μg/l and 0.12 ± 3.21 μg/l; B-Pb were 17.0 ± 1.8 μg/l and 9.06 ± 2.20 μg/l; B-Hg were 2.18 ± 2.02 μg/l and 1.85 ± 1.78 μg/l; and B-Se were 106.0 ± 1.3 and 94.3 ± 1.3 μg/l in males and females, respectively. Among the subjects in the present analysis, 23 % of males and 17.1 % of females had B-As levels above the ATSDR normal human levels of B-As in unexposed individuals (1.0 μg/l). The B-Pb geometric mean (12.44 μg/l) was approximately one eighth the CDC toxicological cut-off point of 100 μg/l. Twenty-one individuals (8.4 %) exceeded a B-Hg level of 5.8 μg/l. Fifty-eight females (47 %) had a B-Hg higher than 2.0 μg/l, the German Federal Environmental Agency cut-off point for women (18–69 years) who consume fish at least three times/month; therefore, their babies could be at risk of adverse effects during development